$11 million Christmas tree may break Guinness World Record

An $11 million Christmas tree in the foyer of the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi may break the Guinness World Record for most expensive Christmas tree.

ByAssociated PressDecember 17, 2010

An $11 million Christmas tree which has been decked out with diamonds, gold, and other precious stones, stands at the lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.

The hotel's general manager, Hans Olbertz, was quoted in local newspapers Thursday as saying the 43-foot faux fir has 131 ornaments that include gold and precious stones such as diamonds and sapphires.

Olbertz told Dubai's Gulf News that he worked with one of the jewelers in the hotel to create a "unique tree and experience for our guests this year." The hotel may later contact Guinness World Records for a possible bid as the world's most expensive Christmas tree.

The Guinness web site lists a $10.8 million tree put up in 2002 in Toyko with 83 pieces of jewelry from Piaget Japan.

Christmas spirit is not rare in the United Arab Emirates, which is officially Muslim but hosts a huge foreign population. Malls are full of carolers, Santas and piped-in yuletide songs.

But not everyone's jolly. Some Emirati officials worry about threats to Gulf traditions from the wave of Western culture from holiday celebrations to Hollywood movies.